I pray that each of you have enjoyed your Christmas with friends and family! We had many exciting things happening around here.
The Christmas party at church on the 2oth was a big success! We had over 170 there. Everyone had a great time. Lots of people helped out with the preparation, the set-up and the cooking. We had a great time of fun, food and fellowship.
Tony, Teddy and I enjoyed a great Christmas together. Christmas eve we tried our hand at making candy canes. I can hear you now, why would you try to make candy canes when you can buy them? Well, you can't buy them here, at least not in Manta, so we decided to try our hand at it. It was quite an experience...having never done anything like it before. We had a huge mess, some burnt fingers and a really fun time. Our candy canes were some of the funniest looking things you have ever seen, but they were made with love and they taste great! :-)
We enjoyed a "Birthday Party for Jesus" on Thursday evening. Playing games, and reading the Christmas Story, and eating "Pizza Fondue", it was really yummy. Christmas day was also a good day for us. We enjoyed talking to each of your daughters and my parents. We were able to use the web cam with my parents, and with Ashley, Shane and Curtis and that was fun.
Today has been a great day of just resting...a little cleaning up and a lot of just enjoying one another. Tony is going out to the village ministry in La Travesia this afternoon. We are looking forward to a great day at church tomorrow.
God has blessed us so much! Thank you for your prayers for the ministry here in Manta and for our family!
God Bless you!
Joy
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
We had a great day worshiping the Lord! The attendance was down, but we are so thankful that God is working in the hearts of his people. Please remember to keep this work in your prayers.
Upcoming events...on Friday the Leadership team and their wives will be coming over to our house for a small Christmas party. Then on Sunday morning, the kids at church will be receiving their Christmas treats and Sunday evening we will be having a "Family Christmas Party" at church...We are going to be having a "Birthday Party for Jesus!" The church will be providing the meat, which we are grilling...and everyone else is helping by either bringing rice, menestra (lentils), salad, colas, plates, cups, napkins, forks.... This is all a "new" idea for the culture here, so we will see how it works. "Potluck dinners" are not a normal thing in Ecuador! :-) But everyone seems really excited about it and is looking forward to a great time. We will be exchanging ornaments...each family that wants to participate has been bringing ornaments and putting them on the trees at church...The ornament has their family's name on it. The idea is that we will exchange them and then each family will pray for the family whose ornament they receive, during the coming year. We have also asked those that would like to participate to bring a wrapped "birthday gift for Jesus". These are to be toys that we will be giving out to the 2 children's homes in our area. We are looking forward to a great time of fun and fellowship!
We are excited and looking forward to Christmas at the Anzalone house! We have been baking and decorating. This week we are planning to do some shopping. I pray that each of you has a wonderful week as you prepare for this most precious time of you!
God Bless you!
Joy
Upcoming events...on Friday the Leadership team and their wives will be coming over to our house for a small Christmas party. Then on Sunday morning, the kids at church will be receiving their Christmas treats and Sunday evening we will be having a "Family Christmas Party" at church...We are going to be having a "Birthday Party for Jesus!" The church will be providing the meat, which we are grilling...and everyone else is helping by either bringing rice, menestra (lentils), salad, colas, plates, cups, napkins, forks.... This is all a "new" idea for the culture here, so we will see how it works. "Potluck dinners" are not a normal thing in Ecuador! :-) But everyone seems really excited about it and is looking forward to a great time. We will be exchanging ornaments...each family that wants to participate has been bringing ornaments and putting them on the trees at church...The ornament has their family's name on it. The idea is that we will exchange them and then each family will pray for the family whose ornament they receive, during the coming year. We have also asked those that would like to participate to bring a wrapped "birthday gift for Jesus". These are to be toys that we will be giving out to the 2 children's homes in our area. We are looking forward to a great time of fun and fellowship!
We are excited and looking forward to Christmas at the Anzalone house! We have been baking and decorating. This week we are planning to do some shopping. I pray that each of you has a wonderful week as you prepare for this most precious time of you!
God Bless you!
Joy
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Some pictures....
Just about finished decorating for our Ladies program, "Fantasia de nieve"(Winter Wonderland) Saturday morning. I have to say it was pretty strange to have "snow" in Manta! :-)
Some of the ladies that attended Saturday's program. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Here they are listening intently to my lesson...They are really trying to figure out what in the world I'm trying to say in Spanish! :-)
These are the 9 people that were baptized a couple weeks ago, with Tony. We are so thankful for the work the Lord is doing here! Many lives are being changed!
The Ecuador, BBFI missionary family on Thanksgiving Day at Joe and Sylvia Wells. We had a great time! (we missed you Jenny!)
Christmas is coming!!!!!!!!!!
Can you believe that Christmas is just 16 days away?!?!?! Yes we are counting down here at the Anzalone house. Teddy would have us counting the hours and the minutes too, but we will just stick to days. :-)
We have had a very busy few weeks here in Manta. We were able to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with our friends Joe and Sylvia Wells in Santo Domingo. We joined all the other BBFI missionary family for a wonderful day of fun, fellowship and thanksgiving.
Two weeks ago, we had 9 precious baby believers follow their Lord in Baptism! What a wonderful day.
Last Saturday was our special Ladies Christmas program. We had 39 ladies attend and had a wonderful time.
Our church attendance the last few weeks has been very good. God is working and changing lives. Of course anytime the Lord is working, Satan doesn't like it! Please pray for the work here, and especially for the leaders, as Satan is attacking big time. Pray too for the new baby Christian that sometimes get caught up in the "crossfire" for the attack.
I pray that God richly blesses you as you serve him in the place he has put you.
Blessings!
Joy
We have had a very busy few weeks here in Manta. We were able to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with our friends Joe and Sylvia Wells in Santo Domingo. We joined all the other BBFI missionary family for a wonderful day of fun, fellowship and thanksgiving.
Two weeks ago, we had 9 precious baby believers follow their Lord in Baptism! What a wonderful day.
Last Saturday was our special Ladies Christmas program. We had 39 ladies attend and had a wonderful time.
Our church attendance the last few weeks has been very good. God is working and changing lives. Of course anytime the Lord is working, Satan doesn't like it! Please pray for the work here, and especially for the leaders, as Satan is attacking big time. Pray too for the new baby Christian that sometimes get caught up in the "crossfire" for the attack.
I pray that God richly blesses you as you serve him in the place he has put you.
Blessings!
Joy
Monday, November 16, 2009
Amazing Love....
I started a new Bible Reading plan this morning. The idea is to read through the main stories of the Bible in chronological order in 61 days. So today I started with Creation and the Fall of Man. As I was reading, I tried to envision what this world must have been like...I mean, over and over again, it says and "God said it was good". WOW! Then he created Man and Woman in his very image. Pure and completely innocent. God would take time each day to come down and "walk with them". Then the day came when they disobeyed God, and it all came "crashing down" around them. Suddenly, what they thought they wanted, really wasn't what they wanted at all!
Yet God still came down and sought them. He still came looking for them. I often wonder what would have happened if Adam had taken responsibility for his sin...instead of "passing the buck" to Eve...or if Eve had taken responsibility, instead of passing it off on the serpent. We'll never know. This passage is really very sad, except when you remember that God still loved them, he still came seeking and he still made a way of salvation.
Oh, Amazing Love, how can it be, that thou my God wouldst love me?
Praise the Lord he still comes searching for us today!
We had a great day yesterday! 124 people packed out our temporary meeting room. The men are working on getting the roof on the 2nd floor so we can use that for our services, and put the children in the classrooms downstairs. Not only are we pushing the limits on all classrooms, but we desperatly need a nursery! There were at least 5 little babies in the service yesterday not counting the little children under 2!!!! What a wonderful problem to have. :-)
Pray for this Saturday, as we have a special Ladies meeting, where we will be making a craft. There are at least 50 ladies already signed up to attend. Pray too, as plans go forward for our special Christmas Event we have every year for the Ladies. This year we are planning to have it at the church on Dec. 5.
Tomorrow, I will be meeting with Cecila and Jessica to go over plans for our Children's ministry. Wednesday night we will be having a "Prayer Meeting/Bible Study" at the church. Friday evening, Luis and Melanea will be coming over to visit with us, and talk about plans for the young people. These are just the "meetings" I am personally involved in. Tony has several other things on his plate as he works with the men to keep things moving forward with the construction, and everything else. Pray too, as Teddy and I focus on school every morning.
Thank you for your interest in the ministry here in Manta! God bless you as you serve him where you are this week!
Joy
Yet God still came down and sought them. He still came looking for them. I often wonder what would have happened if Adam had taken responsibility for his sin...instead of "passing the buck" to Eve...or if Eve had taken responsibility, instead of passing it off on the serpent. We'll never know. This passage is really very sad, except when you remember that God still loved them, he still came seeking and he still made a way of salvation.
Oh, Amazing Love, how can it be, that thou my God wouldst love me?
Praise the Lord he still comes searching for us today!
We had a great day yesterday! 124 people packed out our temporary meeting room. The men are working on getting the roof on the 2nd floor so we can use that for our services, and put the children in the classrooms downstairs. Not only are we pushing the limits on all classrooms, but we desperatly need a nursery! There were at least 5 little babies in the service yesterday not counting the little children under 2!!!! What a wonderful problem to have. :-)
Pray for this Saturday, as we have a special Ladies meeting, where we will be making a craft. There are at least 50 ladies already signed up to attend. Pray too, as plans go forward for our special Christmas Event we have every year for the Ladies. This year we are planning to have it at the church on Dec. 5.
Tomorrow, I will be meeting with Cecila and Jessica to go over plans for our Children's ministry. Wednesday night we will be having a "Prayer Meeting/Bible Study" at the church. Friday evening, Luis and Melanea will be coming over to visit with us, and talk about plans for the young people. These are just the "meetings" I am personally involved in. Tony has several other things on his plate as he works with the men to keep things moving forward with the construction, and everything else. Pray too, as Teddy and I focus on school every morning.
Thank you for your interest in the ministry here in Manta! God bless you as you serve him where you are this week!
Joy
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Rejoice in the Lord, always!
Paul tells us to "rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I say rejoice!" We are very happy to be back "home" in Manta. God was with us and although there were some delays in our trip, I know that God had it all figured out and his plan and his time is perfect!
Our flight from Atlanta to Miami was delayed, putting us into Miami after our scheduled flight to Ecuador had left...but all that meant was that we got a free night and whole day to rest up in a really nice hotel, compliments of American Airlines! We arrived safely into Guayaquil on Tuesday evening, and all of our luggage arrived with us!!!
We got to Manta, last Wednesday afternoon.
On Saturday the Ladies at church had a special "surprise" Welcome Home/Birthday Party for me. It was very sweet and it was so nice to see all of them. There were over 60 ladies present. It was also very encouraging to see new faces!
Sunday was a great day! There were over 90 in the worship service. It was wonderful to be at our church! Don't get me wrong, I love visiting all of you and each of you have great churches, but there is just something about being back at your own!!! :-)
After the services Sunday, the Leadership Team took us out for lunch. What a great time of fellowship we had with them.
Sunday afternoon, I met with the Women's Ministry Team, and we put into motion plans for some special events for the Ladies. We are planning a "Craft Day" on Nov. 21, and then our special Christmas Event on Dec. 5. Please keep these special days in your prayers. We are asking the Lord to use them to foster fellowship, unity and to give us an opportunity to witness to ladies that would not normally attend church.
So, as you go through this day, remember to "Rejoice in the Lord, always!" :-)
Blessings,
Joy
Our flight from Atlanta to Miami was delayed, putting us into Miami after our scheduled flight to Ecuador had left...but all that meant was that we got a free night and whole day to rest up in a really nice hotel, compliments of American Airlines! We arrived safely into Guayaquil on Tuesday evening, and all of our luggage arrived with us!!!
We got to Manta, last Wednesday afternoon.
On Saturday the Ladies at church had a special "surprise" Welcome Home/Birthday Party for me. It was very sweet and it was so nice to see all of them. There were over 60 ladies present. It was also very encouraging to see new faces!
Sunday was a great day! There were over 90 in the worship service. It was wonderful to be at our church! Don't get me wrong, I love visiting all of you and each of you have great churches, but there is just something about being back at your own!!! :-)
After the services Sunday, the Leadership Team took us out for lunch. What a great time of fellowship we had with them.
Sunday afternoon, I met with the Women's Ministry Team, and we put into motion plans for some special events for the Ladies. We are planning a "Craft Day" on Nov. 21, and then our special Christmas Event on Dec. 5. Please keep these special days in your prayers. We are asking the Lord to use them to foster fellowship, unity and to give us an opportunity to witness to ladies that would not normally attend church.
So, as you go through this day, remember to "Rejoice in the Lord, always!" :-)
Blessings,
Joy
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Heading home!
We are enjoying our last few days in the US with our good friends, Ben and Jane Mock and their family.
Tony, Teddy and I are looking forward to getting back "home". We appreciate your prayers as we travel on Monday.
I am doing well. The medicines seem to be regulating my blood pressure. My recovery from the surgery has been well, and I am starting to feel "normal" again.
God Bless you as you serve Him!
Joy
Tony, Teddy and I are looking forward to getting back "home". We appreciate your prayers as we travel on Monday.
I am doing well. The medicines seem to be regulating my blood pressure. My recovery from the surgery has been well, and I am starting to feel "normal" again.
God Bless you as you serve Him!
Joy
Thursday, October 15, 2009
God's ways are not our ways...
I have been thinking today, how no matter what we do or plan, the Lord is in control and he is always working for our good.
On Wednesday this week, I went to the doctor for my last check-up. It has been 4 weeks since my surgery and since we are suppose to return on November 2nd, I wanted to make sure there was time in case he wanted me to do anything else...of course we never expect there to be "anything else".
Well, my blood pressure was up at the office and my doctor didn't really think it was anything to worry about it...he asked if I had a way to monitor it at home, or if I could go to Walmart or somewhere and take it a couple times, later. Well, since my Dad has a monitor, I told him I could do it at home. So he told me to take it later in the evening, and the next day. Well, when I took it it was still high. So now I have an appointment with a General Practitioner on the 28th. I was a little frustrated last night with all of this...and then I started thinking this morning, how gracious the Lord is to us! This could have been something that went undetected and have caused a stroke or heart attack.
I am grateful that God is in control, that he works all things for our good. So tonight as I write this, I'm resting in the wonderful truth that He is in control!
Thank you for your prayers. We have plans to travel next week... will are suppose to be in 4 different churches during the next couple weeks. My recovery has gone pretty well. Please continue to pray that we will get my blood pressure problem under control.
I am praying that you see God's blessings on your life as you serve him.
Joy
On Wednesday this week, I went to the doctor for my last check-up. It has been 4 weeks since my surgery and since we are suppose to return on November 2nd, I wanted to make sure there was time in case he wanted me to do anything else...of course we never expect there to be "anything else".
Well, my blood pressure was up at the office and my doctor didn't really think it was anything to worry about it...he asked if I had a way to monitor it at home, or if I could go to Walmart or somewhere and take it a couple times, later. Well, since my Dad has a monitor, I told him I could do it at home. So he told me to take it later in the evening, and the next day. Well, when I took it it was still high. So now I have an appointment with a General Practitioner on the 28th. I was a little frustrated last night with all of this...and then I started thinking this morning, how gracious the Lord is to us! This could have been something that went undetected and have caused a stroke or heart attack.
I am grateful that God is in control, that he works all things for our good. So tonight as I write this, I'm resting in the wonderful truth that He is in control!
Thank you for your prayers. We have plans to travel next week... will are suppose to be in 4 different churches during the next couple weeks. My recovery has gone pretty well. Please continue to pray that we will get my blood pressure problem under control.
I am praying that you see God's blessings on your life as you serve him.
Joy
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
It's October!!!!
Good Morning! I know some of you that faithfully check my blog, are probably wondering what has happened to me! :-) I'm still here. Have been recuperating at my Mom and Dad's in Crossville, TN.
Tony has started school with Teddy. He is now in 2nd grade! It is hard to believe how fast he is growing up. A week ago they went to a "Corn Maze" for a field trip and yesterday we went to an Apple Orchard in Pikeville, TN.
Tony's Mimi went to be with the Lord last Wednesday. We are so thankful that she went peacefully and without pain. God is so good! We are also grateful that Tony was able to make the trip out to Kansas to be with family and participate in her funeral.
My recovery continues to go well. This Wednesday will mark 3 weeks. Everyday is better and I am thankful to the Lord for that.
We are looking forward to having a visit from my Father-in-law this week, and then on the week-end, Mandie, Mike, Ioan and Saranna are planning to come down to see us!
While out in Kansas Tony and his Mom were able to make the trip to Springfield, Sunday to be in the church service there Sunday evening for baby dedication. It was a huge surprise to Ashley! She had no idea they were going to be there, until they walked in, during the first song and sat down by them! :-)
Thank you for your continued prayers for the work in Manta. We are hearing good reports! The attendance has been over 100 for the Sunday services, and they are continuing to work on finishing out the first floor of the Sunday School building. The Ladies are working on organizing the special Ladies Day we will have in December.
Right now our plans are to return to Ecuador the 2nd of November. Thank you for your prayers for me during my recovery.
God bless you as you serve him this week!
Joy
Tony has started school with Teddy. He is now in 2nd grade! It is hard to believe how fast he is growing up. A week ago they went to a "Corn Maze" for a field trip and yesterday we went to an Apple Orchard in Pikeville, TN.
Tony's Mimi went to be with the Lord last Wednesday. We are so thankful that she went peacefully and without pain. God is so good! We are also grateful that Tony was able to make the trip out to Kansas to be with family and participate in her funeral.
My recovery continues to go well. This Wednesday will mark 3 weeks. Everyday is better and I am thankful to the Lord for that.
We are looking forward to having a visit from my Father-in-law this week, and then on the week-end, Mandie, Mike, Ioan and Saranna are planning to come down to see us!
While out in Kansas Tony and his Mom were able to make the trip to Springfield, Sunday to be in the church service there Sunday evening for baby dedication. It was a huge surprise to Ashley! She had no idea they were going to be there, until they walked in, during the first song and sat down by them! :-)
Thank you for your continued prayers for the work in Manta. We are hearing good reports! The attendance has been over 100 for the Sunday services, and they are continuing to work on finishing out the first floor of the Sunday School building. The Ladies are working on organizing the special Ladies Day we will have in December.
Right now our plans are to return to Ecuador the 2nd of November. Thank you for your prayers for me during my recovery.
God bless you as you serve him this week!
Joy
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Recuperating...
Well it has been one week since my surgery. I was just thinking this morning that I was glad it was today and not last Wednesday! :-)
So far everything is going well. The pathologist report came back clear. I was discharged from hospital on Friday evening. Have been enjoying the great care of Tony, Teddy and my Mom since then. Every day is a little better.
I appreciate your prayers for my complete recovery and for the ministry in Manta during our absence.
Tomorrow is the Ladies Retreat in Santo Domingo. I know that some of the Ladies from Manta were planning to attend, but have not heard yet how many. Please pray for the retreat and for those traveling there and back on Saturday.
Work on the building continues during our absence. Please continue to keep the construction in your prayers. We still need at least $10,000 to finish this first phase.
The reports we have received have been very good. We have heard that the last few weeks they have had over 100 in attendance for the Sunday Worship services.
Thank you for your prayers for our family and the ministry in Ecuador.
God Bless!
Joy
So far everything is going well. The pathologist report came back clear. I was discharged from hospital on Friday evening. Have been enjoying the great care of Tony, Teddy and my Mom since then. Every day is a little better.
I appreciate your prayers for my complete recovery and for the ministry in Manta during our absence.
Tomorrow is the Ladies Retreat in Santo Domingo. I know that some of the Ladies from Manta were planning to attend, but have not heard yet how many. Please pray for the retreat and for those traveling there and back on Saturday.
Work on the building continues during our absence. Please continue to keep the construction in your prayers. We still need at least $10,000 to finish this first phase.
The reports we have received have been very good. We have heard that the last few weeks they have had over 100 in attendance for the Sunday Worship services.
Thank you for your prayers for our family and the ministry in Ecuador.
God Bless!
Joy
Monday, August 31, 2009
August is over, and September is coming...
Hello Everyone! Things have been pretty hectic in our lives this past month, and we haven't always had easy internet access. I will try to catch you up on everything that is going on in our lives....
The first week in August we went to the annual BBFI Missionary Retreat in Arkansas. It was a great time to visit with old friends, make some new ones. We enjoyed the services each morning and evening. Teddy had a great time, playing with other MK's and they had special kid's classes every morning and evening for him.
From there, we headed back to my Mom and Dad's in Crossville, Tennessee. We were able to attend the special service at Southside Baptist Church on August 9th, to celebrate Pastor and Mrs. Gresham's 24th anniversary at the church. Carole is my cousin and there was lots of family present, so it was a great time. Then on Monday-Wednesday, we were at the Whitestone Country Inn in Kingston, Tennessee, celebrating my parents, Ted and Verneta Wille's 50 wedding anniversary. It was a very special time!
We were able to take my parents up to see Mike, Mandie, Ioan and Saranna, on the week-end after their anniversary party. It was great to have a couple more days with them and love on our grand babies a little bit more!
That week found us back at my parents. I had a scheduled a check-up with my doctor there, and found out that, I will need to have a hysterectomy. That surgery is scheduled for Sept. 16. Because of that change in our plans we will be changing our return flight to Ecuador to hopefully around the 1st of November. We appreciate your prayers!
Right now we are in Springfield, MO. Tony brought Teddy and I here last week, and then he went with his sisters to help his Mom move from Texas to Kansas. This past week-end we enjoyed taking Ashley, Curtis and Lexi with us on a quick trip to Kansas to visit family there. This week we will be spending a little more time with our kids here. Enjoying the time with have with Curtis. On the week-end we are suppose to be heading to Kansas City, and then on Monday, Lord willing, we will be heading back to Tennessee.
We thank you so much for your prayers for our family and the ministry the Lord has given us in Manta. All the reports we are getting from Manta have been good. Please continue to keep the work there in your prayers.
God Bless you as you serve him!
Joy
The first week in August we went to the annual BBFI Missionary Retreat in Arkansas. It was a great time to visit with old friends, make some new ones. We enjoyed the services each morning and evening. Teddy had a great time, playing with other MK's and they had special kid's classes every morning and evening for him.
From there, we headed back to my Mom and Dad's in Crossville, Tennessee. We were able to attend the special service at Southside Baptist Church on August 9th, to celebrate Pastor and Mrs. Gresham's 24th anniversary at the church. Carole is my cousin and there was lots of family present, so it was a great time. Then on Monday-Wednesday, we were at the Whitestone Country Inn in Kingston, Tennessee, celebrating my parents, Ted and Verneta Wille's 50 wedding anniversary. It was a very special time!
We were able to take my parents up to see Mike, Mandie, Ioan and Saranna, on the week-end after their anniversary party. It was great to have a couple more days with them and love on our grand babies a little bit more!
That week found us back at my parents. I had a scheduled a check-up with my doctor there, and found out that, I will need to have a hysterectomy. That surgery is scheduled for Sept. 16. Because of that change in our plans we will be changing our return flight to Ecuador to hopefully around the 1st of November. We appreciate your prayers!
Right now we are in Springfield, MO. Tony brought Teddy and I here last week, and then he went with his sisters to help his Mom move from Texas to Kansas. This past week-end we enjoyed taking Ashley, Curtis and Lexi with us on a quick trip to Kansas to visit family there. This week we will be spending a little more time with our kids here. Enjoying the time with have with Curtis. On the week-end we are suppose to be heading to Kansas City, and then on Monday, Lord willing, we will be heading back to Tennessee.
We thank you so much for your prayers for our family and the ministry the Lord has given us in Manta. All the reports we are getting from Manta have been good. Please continue to keep the work there in your prayers.
God Bless you as you serve him!
Joy
Monday, August 3, 2009
And we are off on another week!
Good Morning! I hope you are enjoying this new week.
Our family is praising the Lord for bringing Baby Curtis Anthony Coston home! He spent a little over 4 weeks in the NICU. He is doing great and God has been so very good to us.
Yesterday we had the privilege of presenting our work at Seminole Baptist Temple. It was great to be able to share with 2 classes, give testimonies in the 2 morning Worship services, and then last night, Tony shared our presentation and had the opportunity to preach.
After the evening service we went out with Andy and Amy Ragsdale and their family. Andy and Amy were approved in May as Missionaries to Ecuador. Please be praying for them as they get started on their deputation.
This week we will be heading to Arkansas for the BBFI Missionary Retreat. We really appreciate your prayers as we travel. Tony has already driven over 4,000 miles since we arrived in the US on July 8th!
Please keep Baby Curtis in your prayers, and Ashley and Shane as they now adjust to having him home!
Also be praying for the work in Manta as it continues in our absence.
God Bless you this week as you serve him!
Joy
Our family is praising the Lord for bringing Baby Curtis Anthony Coston home! He spent a little over 4 weeks in the NICU. He is doing great and God has been so very good to us.
Yesterday we had the privilege of presenting our work at Seminole Baptist Temple. It was great to be able to share with 2 classes, give testimonies in the 2 morning Worship services, and then last night, Tony shared our presentation and had the opportunity to preach.
After the evening service we went out with Andy and Amy Ragsdale and their family. Andy and Amy were approved in May as Missionaries to Ecuador. Please be praying for them as they get started on their deputation.
This week we will be heading to Arkansas for the BBFI Missionary Retreat. We really appreciate your prayers as we travel. Tony has already driven over 4,000 miles since we arrived in the US on July 8th!
Please keep Baby Curtis in your prayers, and Ashley and Shane as they now adjust to having him home!
Also be praying for the work in Manta as it continues in our absence.
God Bless you this week as you serve him!
Joy
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
"Everything should be about God!"
I'm sitting here in Lexi and Jonathan's apartment this morning thinking about the Sunday School lesson I heard Sunday. The class is doing a study on 1 Corinthians, and Sunday they were on chapter 3. The basic truth from the lesson was that "EVERYTHING should be about God!"
It seems to me that it doesn't matter how long you have been a Christian, it is so easy to get our mind and our life so wrapped up in our day to day life/circumstances, that we lose sight of the fact that my life belongs to God. I've been bought with a price, I'm his child and he is my Father. He is suppose to be in the drivers seat, and I'm not suppose to be telling him how to drive. I'm to trust him and rest in him, and follow him.
I need to get my eyes off of me, and keep them on him!
Joy
It seems to me that it doesn't matter how long you have been a Christian, it is so easy to get our mind and our life so wrapped up in our day to day life/circumstances, that we lose sight of the fact that my life belongs to God. I've been bought with a price, I'm his child and he is my Father. He is suppose to be in the drivers seat, and I'm not suppose to be telling him how to drive. I'm to trust him and rest in him, and follow him.
I need to get my eyes off of me, and keep them on him!
Joy
Sunday, July 19, 2009
"On the Road Again!"
Well the title of this post says it all.... We arrived in the US about 10 days ago. We flew into Atlanta on Wednesday, July 8, and spent some time with our good friends the Mocks in Jasper, GA. I spoke at 2 ladies Bible Studies at the church there, on Thursday and then flew up to Springfield, MO. It was great to see Lexi and Ashley. It was also special to spend time taking Ashley back and forth to the hospital and to be able to hold baby Curtis. We are very thankful that he continues to do well and show progress. Please keep him in your prayers. He is still in the NICU, there in MO.
Tony and Teddy spent the rest of our first week-end in the States with the Mocks. They enjoyed a trip to the Atlanta Aquarium, and tubing down the Toccoa River. Tony also enjoyed the opportunity of speaking to the teens on Sunday there, and sharing a testimony in the service.
Monday morning, found them heading up to Knoxville. My Dad met them and Teddy and the majority of our luggage went with him. Teddy enjoyed the week with his grandparents, and also had the opportunity to meet some new cousins who were visiting my parents from Arizona!!! Tony continued on to the Knoxville airport, where he caught a plane and flew up the Flint, MI, (via Orlando, Florida! and lunch with good friend Tim Gunter). In Flint he picked up a car that we were able to buy with the help of some great friends in our in Home Church there. Then on Tuesday he made the trip in the car from Flint to Springfield, arriving around 10:30. We immediately took him up to the hospital and he was introduced to his 2nd Grandson, Curtis Anthony Coston!
On Friday morning, Tony and I said "goodbye" to our kids there, and made the trip back to Tennessee. Arriving at my parents house in Crossville, around 5:00. We were happy to see Teddy again, and he seemed thrilled to see us, although he had a great week with his grandparents!
Yesterday afternoon, we headed over to Knoxville and have enjoyed making some new friends and seeing old friends at West Park Baptist Church. Tonight we will be heading across town to be at another one of our supporting churches, Southside Baptist Church.
Our new grand babies are doing well. Curtis continues to gain weight and make progress everyday. He is now working on getting the whole eating process down and that seems to be the only thing holding him back from going home at this point. Saranna who was born to Mike and Mandie on July 4th, is doing great. We are planning on seeing here and her big brother Ioan, and of course our kids, this week for a short visit.
Please keep us in your prayers as we travel around the US. Please pray for baby Curtis' continued growth and progress in the NICU in Springfield. Pray for Ashley and Shane as they deal with all the worry and stress that comes with having a baby in the NICU. Pray for Mandie, Mike, Ioan and Baby Saranna. Pray for Lexi and Jonathan as they make plans and preparation for what the Lord has for them.
Also please keep the work in Manta in your prayers.
God Bless you and keep you!
Joy
Tony and Teddy spent the rest of our first week-end in the States with the Mocks. They enjoyed a trip to the Atlanta Aquarium, and tubing down the Toccoa River. Tony also enjoyed the opportunity of speaking to the teens on Sunday there, and sharing a testimony in the service.
Monday morning, found them heading up to Knoxville. My Dad met them and Teddy and the majority of our luggage went with him. Teddy enjoyed the week with his grandparents, and also had the opportunity to meet some new cousins who were visiting my parents from Arizona!!! Tony continued on to the Knoxville airport, where he caught a plane and flew up the Flint, MI, (via Orlando, Florida! and lunch with good friend Tim Gunter). In Flint he picked up a car that we were able to buy with the help of some great friends in our in Home Church there. Then on Tuesday he made the trip in the car from Flint to Springfield, arriving around 10:30. We immediately took him up to the hospital and he was introduced to his 2nd Grandson, Curtis Anthony Coston!
On Friday morning, Tony and I said "goodbye" to our kids there, and made the trip back to Tennessee. Arriving at my parents house in Crossville, around 5:00. We were happy to see Teddy again, and he seemed thrilled to see us, although he had a great week with his grandparents!
Yesterday afternoon, we headed over to Knoxville and have enjoyed making some new friends and seeing old friends at West Park Baptist Church. Tonight we will be heading across town to be at another one of our supporting churches, Southside Baptist Church.
Our new grand babies are doing well. Curtis continues to gain weight and make progress everyday. He is now working on getting the whole eating process down and that seems to be the only thing holding him back from going home at this point. Saranna who was born to Mike and Mandie on July 4th, is doing great. We are planning on seeing here and her big brother Ioan, and of course our kids, this week for a short visit.
Please keep us in your prayers as we travel around the US. Please pray for baby Curtis' continued growth and progress in the NICU in Springfield. Pray for Ashley and Shane as they deal with all the worry and stress that comes with having a baby in the NICU. Pray for Mandie, Mike, Ioan and Baby Saranna. Pray for Lexi and Jonathan as they make plans and preparation for what the Lord has for them.
Also please keep the work in Manta in your prayers.
God Bless you and keep you!
Joy
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A few pictures...
Luis, Jesenia, Tony, Mercedes and Andres, at the baptism this afternoon.
The terrace was packed out for the morning service today.
The women at the retreat, honoring, Sylvia, Sharon, Stacey and I. They are so sweet!
Cecila, Aday, Mirian, Wilda and I at the retreat this week-end.
Ladies in Ministry retreat, June 25-27, in Santo Domingo. What a great group!
We're coming and going!
I pray that each of you had a wonderful time of worship in God's house today!
We have had a great week! Last Sunday, which was Father's Day, we had 15 Father's recognized at the church here in Manta.
This week, we went to Santo Domingo for our annual retreat for Women in Ministry. God blessed and we had wonderful retreat. 53 Ecuadorian Pastor's wives and Ministry Leaders attended this years retreat. We were excited because Sharon Smith, who has worked with Sylvia Wells and I over the last 10 years to plan this retreat, was able to return to be a part of this years retreat too.
Last night our church sponsored an Evangelistic meeting in the park near our church. At one point Tony counted over 150, just in the part close to the stage. There were so many people coming and going, we really have no idea how many actually heard the gospel. Many raised their hands that they had accepted Christ. Our Church members went around and talked to many of the people, asking them if they could visit them, and if they were interested in signing up to have a Bible Study. From the many that raised their hands, we only got about 15 names, of people who were interested in a follow up contact, but that is still 15!
This morning, we had 148 in church! I can tell you that the apartment was packed out to the max! There was a group from the US visiting, so that was 14, but still we had a great attendance! After church we had a meeting, trying to get the necessary things done to our church "incorporated" to make it legal. We had over 50 sign the sheet as members. We would have have a few more, but they didn't have their documents with them for us to copy. (Here we had to have a copy of their ID card, and the proof that they voted in the last election....yes voting is mandatory in Ecuador). After that we had a baptism, with 4 people being baptized! Lots going on, and the day still isn't over! :-)
This afternoon, the men are having a work day at the property, and then they will be enjoying a few games of volleyball.
This coming week, we will moving out of the apartment and over to the new property. Pray as we make decisions what to actually move to the property and what to store until we have more of the building finished. Pray that we would get water and lights! Everyone is very excited and we are so thankful for all the Lord has done to this point.
Saturday, July 4, we will be having a Baby Shower here at my house. God is blessing our church with more babies! :-)
Thank you so much for your prayers for the ministry here in Manta!
God Bless!
Joy
We have had a great week! Last Sunday, which was Father's Day, we had 15 Father's recognized at the church here in Manta.
This week, we went to Santo Domingo for our annual retreat for Women in Ministry. God blessed and we had wonderful retreat. 53 Ecuadorian Pastor's wives and Ministry Leaders attended this years retreat. We were excited because Sharon Smith, who has worked with Sylvia Wells and I over the last 10 years to plan this retreat, was able to return to be a part of this years retreat too.
Last night our church sponsored an Evangelistic meeting in the park near our church. At one point Tony counted over 150, just in the part close to the stage. There were so many people coming and going, we really have no idea how many actually heard the gospel. Many raised their hands that they had accepted Christ. Our Church members went around and talked to many of the people, asking them if they could visit them, and if they were interested in signing up to have a Bible Study. From the many that raised their hands, we only got about 15 names, of people who were interested in a follow up contact, but that is still 15!
This morning, we had 148 in church! I can tell you that the apartment was packed out to the max! There was a group from the US visiting, so that was 14, but still we had a great attendance! After church we had a meeting, trying to get the necessary things done to our church "incorporated" to make it legal. We had over 50 sign the sheet as members. We would have have a few more, but they didn't have their documents with them for us to copy. (Here we had to have a copy of their ID card, and the proof that they voted in the last election....yes voting is mandatory in Ecuador). After that we had a baptism, with 4 people being baptized! Lots going on, and the day still isn't over! :-)
This afternoon, the men are having a work day at the property, and then they will be enjoying a few games of volleyball.
This coming week, we will moving out of the apartment and over to the new property. Pray as we make decisions what to actually move to the property and what to store until we have more of the building finished. Pray that we would get water and lights! Everyone is very excited and we are so thankful for all the Lord has done to this point.
Saturday, July 4, we will be having a Baby Shower here at my house. God is blessing our church with more babies! :-)
Thank you so much for your prayers for the ministry here in Manta!
God Bless!
Joy
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Can't keep up...
Do you ever feel like there is just so much to do and not enough time to get it done? I'm so sorry that it has been over 2 weeks since I posted on here. I will try to catch you up...without writing a "book". LOL
On June 6th, we had our "Young Women's meeting" at the church. This is a meeting for women 20 to 35. We only had 6 attend, but it was a great time of fellowship for them. They so enjoy getting together. Melania shared the devotion with us, and did a great job. She is going to be doing it, during the time that I am away. Please keep her in your prayers.
Sunday morning, June 7, we had 115 in our Worship Service. We are definitely bursting at the seams in the apartment! :-)
On Saturday June 13th, 28 people from church attended a Teacher Training Seminar. We started at 10 in the morning and ended at 4:00 in the afternoon. We had 16 that had gone through the program last year, and 12 new ones. We started the morning, with Tony giving an "over view" of some of the introductory stuff we had done last year. Qualifications for a teacher...The importance of teaching children...some basic characteristics of the different age groups. Then I did an hour sharing the material on "Explaining Salvation to Children". After that time, they all had a chance to either make a small "word less book", "a bracelet, with beads the color of the wordless book" or another little book, with felt pieces, in the colors. When we finished that, we had lunch, which was prepared by one of our families. They did a great job...They opened up their home and had everything set up for us to walk in and eat. It was just a block from the church, so that worked out great! After lunch, we returned to the church and split up... Tony took the ones that had gone through the program before, and worked with them on a little more detail of developing a lesson, and also spent some time of methods of getting student participation. I took the news one and we went through the basics of preparing a lesson and presenting the lesson. Both of these groups have assignments that they are suppose to turn in. Everyone that turns in their assignment will receive a certificate on July 5.
We also introduced the idea of "neighborhood Bible clubs". We have had one young woman approach us about starting a club in her neighborhood. Please be praying about this. Pray also for Maria Jose as she steps out into this new ministry.
This last Sunday, was an "Election Day" here. Voting is mandatory in Ecuador, and many of our church people have to go out of town to vote. We were thrilled to still have an attendance of 89! We also had Alan and Pearl Jackson come and share their ministry to abandoned children with our church. It was exciting to see many of our church members seeking them out after church to see how they could volunteer and be involved in this very special and much needed ministry.
Today, Tony went to the Ecuadorian Naval Base here in Manta, for the 2nd of his seminars on Marriage and Family. The response was very good. Please be praying with us that the seeds planted will bear fruit.
Construction the building continues. We are praying that the Lord would supply $10,000 to finish the first floor of the Education building. We will be moving into the building, "as is" on July 5. It will be a little "rustic" to start with, but we are excited and know that God will finish the work that He has started!
Next week is our annual retreat for Women in Ministry at the camp in Santo Domingo. We have 46 women signed up! Please pray for Sylvia Wells, Stacey and Sharon Smith, and I as we finish up the details and do the teaching at this years retreat.
I pray God's blessings on each of you as you serve him this week!
Joy
On June 6th, we had our "Young Women's meeting" at the church. This is a meeting for women 20 to 35. We only had 6 attend, but it was a great time of fellowship for them. They so enjoy getting together. Melania shared the devotion with us, and did a great job. She is going to be doing it, during the time that I am away. Please keep her in your prayers.
Sunday morning, June 7, we had 115 in our Worship Service. We are definitely bursting at the seams in the apartment! :-)
On Saturday June 13th, 28 people from church attended a Teacher Training Seminar. We started at 10 in the morning and ended at 4:00 in the afternoon. We had 16 that had gone through the program last year, and 12 new ones. We started the morning, with Tony giving an "over view" of some of the introductory stuff we had done last year. Qualifications for a teacher...The importance of teaching children...some basic characteristics of the different age groups. Then I did an hour sharing the material on "Explaining Salvation to Children". After that time, they all had a chance to either make a small "word less book", "a bracelet, with beads the color of the wordless book" or another little book, with felt pieces, in the colors. When we finished that, we had lunch, which was prepared by one of our families. They did a great job...They opened up their home and had everything set up for us to walk in and eat. It was just a block from the church, so that worked out great! After lunch, we returned to the church and split up... Tony took the ones that had gone through the program before, and worked with them on a little more detail of developing a lesson, and also spent some time of methods of getting student participation. I took the news one and we went through the basics of preparing a lesson and presenting the lesson. Both of these groups have assignments that they are suppose to turn in. Everyone that turns in their assignment will receive a certificate on July 5.
We also introduced the idea of "neighborhood Bible clubs". We have had one young woman approach us about starting a club in her neighborhood. Please be praying about this. Pray also for Maria Jose as she steps out into this new ministry.
This last Sunday, was an "Election Day" here. Voting is mandatory in Ecuador, and many of our church people have to go out of town to vote. We were thrilled to still have an attendance of 89! We also had Alan and Pearl Jackson come and share their ministry to abandoned children with our church. It was exciting to see many of our church members seeking them out after church to see how they could volunteer and be involved in this very special and much needed ministry.
Today, Tony went to the Ecuadorian Naval Base here in Manta, for the 2nd of his seminars on Marriage and Family. The response was very good. Please be praying with us that the seeds planted will bear fruit.
Construction the building continues. We are praying that the Lord would supply $10,000 to finish the first floor of the Education building. We will be moving into the building, "as is" on July 5. It will be a little "rustic" to start with, but we are excited and know that God will finish the work that He has started!
Next week is our annual retreat for Women in Ministry at the camp in Santo Domingo. We have 46 women signed up! Please pray for Sylvia Wells, Stacey and Sharon Smith, and I as we finish up the details and do the teaching at this years retreat.
I pray God's blessings on each of you as you serve him this week!
Joy
Monday, June 1, 2009
June has arrived!
Good Monday morning to each of you!
We have a beautiful sunny day here in Manta...blue skies, fluffy white clouds...the air conditioner is running, SO it is very comfortable in the house! :-)
We have had a couple very busy weeks. Last Sunday, the 24th, we had 115 in the Worship service here in Manta! We were pretty packed out in the apartment. We had some first time visitors and just had a great day! Everyone was very excited about the 2nd floor getting poured on Saturday morning the 23rd.
Monday the 25th, we worked on getting some curtains and blinds ready to put up in the apartment of the church in Portoviejo. We were trying to get things in order there, to welcome Gustavo, Lydia and Ezequiel. They have come to work with us from a church in Santo Domingo. Gustavo will work in the position of "Assistant Pastor" to help Tony with the work there. We are very excited to have someone actually living there in Portoviejo! It is not easy to pastor a church from about an hour away. Please keep Gustavo, Lydia and Ezequiel in your prayers as they adjust and adapt to life away from their family for the first time.
Tuesday we actually went to Portoveijo and hung some of the curtains...Tuesday evening was advanced Bible Institute class here at our house. Wednesday we went to meet Gustavo and Lydia as they arrived. Also on Tuesday and Wednesday we took care of getting Teddy's Ecuadorian passport renewed, in Portoviejo.
Thursday, I had art class in the afternoon, and Tony had Bible Institute at the church in the evening. Friday, Cecilia came over and we made 45 large sugar cookies to pass out at church yesterday, for "Children's Day". Saturday was our general Ladies meeting at the church. We had 25 ladies attend and had a wonderful time. I was thrilled that Mirian, Wilda and Aday, organzied everything...set it all up, I just gave the devotion and enjoyed the afternoon with the ladies! :-)
Yesterday, our attendance was down a little bit, with 85 present for the worship service, but we had a great spirit, and are excited to see what the Lord is going to do with this work. As with any work, when people are growing and lives are being changed, Satan is not happy and he is on the attack to try and destroy God's work. We are so thankful that this is God's work! Please pray for the leaders in the church here. Each one of them is facing some kind of attack, and we know that God has promised to give the victory!
Our family is doing well. Today is Teddy's "Welcome to our Family Day!" It was 6 years ago today, that God blessed us with this precious gift! We are so thankful for him. This is also our last week of school for the year! We will finish up 1st grade on Friday! YAY! The news we hear from our 3 daughters and son-in-laws is all good. The Lord is suppling their needs and blessing their families. We are very thankful for all the blessings he has bestowed upon our family.
Have a wonderful week. God bless you as you serve Him, this week.
Blessings,
Joy
We have a beautiful sunny day here in Manta...blue skies, fluffy white clouds...the air conditioner is running, SO it is very comfortable in the house! :-)
We have had a couple very busy weeks. Last Sunday, the 24th, we had 115 in the Worship service here in Manta! We were pretty packed out in the apartment. We had some first time visitors and just had a great day! Everyone was very excited about the 2nd floor getting poured on Saturday morning the 23rd.
Monday the 25th, we worked on getting some curtains and blinds ready to put up in the apartment of the church in Portoviejo. We were trying to get things in order there, to welcome Gustavo, Lydia and Ezequiel. They have come to work with us from a church in Santo Domingo. Gustavo will work in the position of "Assistant Pastor" to help Tony with the work there. We are very excited to have someone actually living there in Portoviejo! It is not easy to pastor a church from about an hour away. Please keep Gustavo, Lydia and Ezequiel in your prayers as they adjust and adapt to life away from their family for the first time.
Tuesday we actually went to Portoveijo and hung some of the curtains...Tuesday evening was advanced Bible Institute class here at our house. Wednesday we went to meet Gustavo and Lydia as they arrived. Also on Tuesday and Wednesday we took care of getting Teddy's Ecuadorian passport renewed, in Portoviejo.
Thursday, I had art class in the afternoon, and Tony had Bible Institute at the church in the evening. Friday, Cecilia came over and we made 45 large sugar cookies to pass out at church yesterday, for "Children's Day". Saturday was our general Ladies meeting at the church. We had 25 ladies attend and had a wonderful time. I was thrilled that Mirian, Wilda and Aday, organzied everything...set it all up, I just gave the devotion and enjoyed the afternoon with the ladies! :-)
Yesterday, our attendance was down a little bit, with 85 present for the worship service, but we had a great spirit, and are excited to see what the Lord is going to do with this work. As with any work, when people are growing and lives are being changed, Satan is not happy and he is on the attack to try and destroy God's work. We are so thankful that this is God's work! Please pray for the leaders in the church here. Each one of them is facing some kind of attack, and we know that God has promised to give the victory!
Our family is doing well. Today is Teddy's "Welcome to our Family Day!" It was 6 years ago today, that God blessed us with this precious gift! We are so thankful for him. This is also our last week of school for the year! We will finish up 1st grade on Friday! YAY! The news we hear from our 3 daughters and son-in-laws is all good. The Lord is suppling their needs and blessing their families. We are very thankful for all the blessings he has bestowed upon our family.
Have a wonderful week. God bless you as you serve Him, this week.
Blessings,
Joy
Friday, May 22, 2009
Yay it's Friday!
I'm sure each of you are looking forward to the "long week-end". We had a great day last Sunday, with 115 in attendance for the Morning Service. We celebrated the Lord's supper and had 53 participate. It is so exciting to see the church growing and moving forward. Last Sunday evening, we had a special service. Aida Hidalgo, a young single girl who went with a team to Thailand to work in children's ministries for 1 year, returned and gave a report to our church. We had over 40 people attend the service. It was so exciting for them, to see a young woman from Manta, that had stepped out by faith in this way. She is now back trying to raise support and go back to Thailand as a "career missionary". Please pray for her as she waits on the Lord to open the doors He has for her.
On Monday had the opportunity to travel to Guayaquil with a lady in our church. We had a great time together. We spent Monday night with her daughter who is studying in Guayaquil and then returned to Manta on Tuesday.
Tuesday night was our Advanced Institute class. It has been a real blessing to be a part of that.
Tomorrow, they will be pouring the 2nd floor at the building!!!! We are very excited about this. It is so incredible to see how God is working and providing. We will be moving to the new property...at whatever stage it is in...the end of June. Planning to have our first service there on July 5! Please continue to pray with us that God would supply the funds to complete this work.
Also tomorrow afternoon the young people will be coming to our house. We will be grilling hot dogs and playing games. We are praying that God will use this time to be a blessing to them. On Sunday evening, the Leadership Team will be coming over. We are trying a "pot-luck" dinner idea... Tony and I are providing, the meat, drinks and dessert, and they are suppose to be bringing, rice and salads....this is not a real common practice here, so we will see what happens! :-)
Next week Tony will be starting a series of classes at the Ecuadorian Naval Base...Please be praying for him. Sometimes you just never know how the Lord is going to work and what doors are going to open up. He was approached out of the blue and asked if he would do a series on Marriage and the Family. Of course they aren't expecting to get anything "spiritual" out of it, but God evidently has other plans! :-)
This coming Wednesday we have a family that is coming to Portoviejo from Santo Domingo. They are coming to help out at the church, and relieve some of the pressure of this ministry. Please pray for Gustavo and his family, as they make the adjustments to a new place and a new ministry. Tony will continue to be the Pastor of this work for the time being, but it will be a great blessing to have someone actually living there and making contacts.
I pray that each of you have a wonderful week-end! Thank you so much for your prayers for our family and the ministry here!
Blessings,
Joy
On Monday had the opportunity to travel to Guayaquil with a lady in our church. We had a great time together. We spent Monday night with her daughter who is studying in Guayaquil and then returned to Manta on Tuesday.
Tuesday night was our Advanced Institute class. It has been a real blessing to be a part of that.
Tomorrow, they will be pouring the 2nd floor at the building!!!! We are very excited about this. It is so incredible to see how God is working and providing. We will be moving to the new property...at whatever stage it is in...the end of June. Planning to have our first service there on July 5! Please continue to pray with us that God would supply the funds to complete this work.
Also tomorrow afternoon the young people will be coming to our house. We will be grilling hot dogs and playing games. We are praying that God will use this time to be a blessing to them. On Sunday evening, the Leadership Team will be coming over. We are trying a "pot-luck" dinner idea... Tony and I are providing, the meat, drinks and dessert, and they are suppose to be bringing, rice and salads....this is not a real common practice here, so we will see what happens! :-)
Next week Tony will be starting a series of classes at the Ecuadorian Naval Base...Please be praying for him. Sometimes you just never know how the Lord is going to work and what doors are going to open up. He was approached out of the blue and asked if he would do a series on Marriage and the Family. Of course they aren't expecting to get anything "spiritual" out of it, but God evidently has other plans! :-)
This coming Wednesday we have a family that is coming to Portoviejo from Santo Domingo. They are coming to help out at the church, and relieve some of the pressure of this ministry. Please pray for Gustavo and his family, as they make the adjustments to a new place and a new ministry. Tony will continue to be the Pastor of this work for the time being, but it will be a great blessing to have someone actually living there and making contacts.
I pray that each of you have a wonderful week-end! Thank you so much for your prayers for our family and the ministry here!
Blessings,
Joy
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day!
I wanted to wish each of you Mother's out there a very Happy Mother's Day! I pray that you had a wonderful day.
Yesterday was our "Tarde de Damas", (Ladies Afternoon). It was like a "Tea" minus the hot tea. We had about 40 ladies attend. It was a very nice time for all. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.
This morning, we aren't sure how many Mother's we had present in church, but know there were over 30. We had a great service, which included a time of recognizing all the Mother's present, a special Baby Dedication, and at the end of the service we took pictures of each of the Mother's with their families. We had some visitors, which was very special. Carmen's husband attended today. She has been praying for his salvation for years, and that he would come to church with her since we started...what a blessing to see him there today. He didn't accept Christ, but we know he heard a very clear message of salvation. Wilda also got her two kids that are still living at home to attend the service today also. That was a victory as they have been trying to get them there for quiet awhile too.
I enjoyed the Day with Tony and Teddy. I missed the girls, but am thankful that each one of them loves the Lord and is serving Him in the place where he has placed them now. My Mom and Dad were in Springfield today and spent the afternoon, with Ashley, Shane, Lexi and Jonathan, so that was very special too. Mike cooked dinner for Mandie today, and I heard it was very good! :-)
I am going to post some pictures from our special event yesterday. I hope you will enjoy them!
I have a very special prayer request this week. We have a very special friend, Zac Smith, who just underwent major Cancer Surgery yesterday. Zac is the son of our very dear friends, Jim and Sharon Smith who were missionaries in Quito for many years. Please pray for Zac. Pray for his wife Mandy and their children. Pray for Jim and Sharon, and for Zac's sister Stacey. Thank you!
Have a wonderful week. I pray that it is full of joy and blessings!
Joy
Yesterday was our "Tarde de Damas", (Ladies Afternoon). It was like a "Tea" minus the hot tea. We had about 40 ladies attend. It was a very nice time for all. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.
This morning, we aren't sure how many Mother's we had present in church, but know there were over 30. We had a great service, which included a time of recognizing all the Mother's present, a special Baby Dedication, and at the end of the service we took pictures of each of the Mother's with their families. We had some visitors, which was very special. Carmen's husband attended today. She has been praying for his salvation for years, and that he would come to church with her since we started...what a blessing to see him there today. He didn't accept Christ, but we know he heard a very clear message of salvation. Wilda also got her two kids that are still living at home to attend the service today also. That was a victory as they have been trying to get them there for quiet awhile too.
I enjoyed the Day with Tony and Teddy. I missed the girls, but am thankful that each one of them loves the Lord and is serving Him in the place where he has placed them now. My Mom and Dad were in Springfield today and spent the afternoon, with Ashley, Shane, Lexi and Jonathan, so that was very special too. Mike cooked dinner for Mandie today, and I heard it was very good! :-)
I am going to post some pictures from our special event yesterday. I hope you will enjoy them!
I have a very special prayer request this week. We have a very special friend, Zac Smith, who just underwent major Cancer Surgery yesterday. Zac is the son of our very dear friends, Jim and Sharon Smith who were missionaries in Quito for many years. Please pray for Zac. Pray for his wife Mandy and their children. Pray for Jim and Sharon, and for Zac's sister Stacey. Thank you!
Have a wonderful week. I pray that it is full of joy and blessings!
Joy
"Tarde de Damas"
We had a great time yesterday at the church for our special "Mother's Day Event". Everyone had a great time. We enjoyed a couple "games", some special music, a devotion time, and a great time of fellowship. About 40 Ladies attended.
Monday, May 4, 2009
What blessings have you received this week?
People from church who went to witness the baptisms yesterday.
Luis, Neiger, Tony and Jon after the baptisms yesterday.
I enjoy Mondays. Our week-ends are usually very exciting and hectic...so when Monday rolls around, there is a calm...usually no list of urgent things to try to complete. It is a day to reflect on the blessings of the Lord we received over the week-end...and look ahead to what we need to be doing this coming week.
It is usually a day that we spend working around the house, getting to those odd jobs, that aren't usually huge or any big deal, but that need to be done.
This morning I'm rejoicing that Tony is back home safe and sound. The reports from the Men's Retreat in Santo Domingo are great! 8 men from our church went to the retreat with him. All 8 gave testimonies yesterday during church and what a blessing it was to hear them. One of the men was baptized yesterday, and along with him his son, who he led to the Lord Saturday night when he got home from the retreat! What a blessing to see the smile on Jon's face Sunday morning, and see the glow in his Dad's eyes.
We continue to work with a small church in Portoviejo. I would ask you to be in prayer for his work. There are about 10 people that faithfully attend the Sunday morning service, but there is no "restlessness" in them, to see God do something there. They all seem perfectly content to just go on as things are. Comfortable in getting together on Sunday afternoons and having their little church service. I know that God could do a great work in that place. There are many people that need to be reached with the gospel. Pray with us that, God would light a fire under this believers and give them the desire to reach their lost neighbors, family and friends. Pray with us that the Lord would bring a permanent Pastor, who would be burdened for this work and area.
Work is getting started again at the construction site this week. The next step is getting this ready and pouring the 2nd floor and columns. We are grateful that the Lord has supplied the need to get this next step moving. Please pray with us that He would provide the funds needed to get this first phase of the building completed, so that we can start meeting there soon!
This coming Saturday we will be having a "Ladies Afternoon" (basically a Ladies Tea, but who wants to drink hot tea in this kind of weather, and how can you call it a Tea, if you don't serve tea? :-) I would really appreciate your prayers as we prepare for this special event. We have asked the Ladies to invite their unsaved friends and family members. Many times Ladies that would never come to a regular church service will come out for a special event like this. So pray with us, as we prepare and make the final preparations. Pray too, that God will use it to touch hearts.
As we start this new week, I am thanking God for all the blessings we received this past week...for the great attendance in church yesterday, for the 3 men baptized, for the birth of a precious baby girl, Thursday night to Viviana and that both of them are now at home doing well. I am thankful for the Ladies the Lord has put in our ministry to work together with me, both with the Ladies Ministry and with Children's Ministry. I am thankful for a Godly husband. I am thankful for the work the Lord is doing in our daughters lives and the lives of their families, and I am thankful for the son the Lord has given us to keep us young, and to fill our house with laughter. I am thankful that the construction is starting up again on the building.
I am also looking forward with excitment and anticipation, wondering what incredible blessings will the Lord pour out on us this week? What blessings are you counting today?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Do you have hope, this morning?
"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. Is is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." Lametations 3:21-16
Do you have hope, this morning? Are you hoping in the Lord? There are times when I don't understand everything the Lord is doing. Times when I can't see the future...can't even see through this day, yet God has called me to trust in Him. He hasn't asked me to look ahead and figure out way I'm to go...He's only asked me to follow his lead this day...to take one step at a time, and join Him where he is working.
His mercies are new every morning! His compassions do not fail. He is my portion and my hope. I rest in him.
Thank you for your prayers and support of the ministry here in Manta. Thank you for your support for our family. Ecuador had elections yesterday. They have re-elected the President Correa. We haven't heard yet, if the new "assembly" (congress) will be controled by his party or if it will give some balance to the government. There are many things unknown at this time, but we do know that God is in control!
God bless you as you serve him this week!
Joy
Do you have hope, this morning? Are you hoping in the Lord? There are times when I don't understand everything the Lord is doing. Times when I can't see the future...can't even see through this day, yet God has called me to trust in Him. He hasn't asked me to look ahead and figure out way I'm to go...He's only asked me to follow his lead this day...to take one step at a time, and join Him where he is working.
His mercies are new every morning! His compassions do not fail. He is my portion and my hope. I rest in him.
Thank you for your prayers and support of the ministry here in Manta. Thank you for your support for our family. Ecuador had elections yesterday. They have re-elected the President Correa. We haven't heard yet, if the new "assembly" (congress) will be controled by his party or if it will give some balance to the government. There are many things unknown at this time, but we do know that God is in control!
God bless you as you serve him this week!
Joy
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Iced Tea Anyone?
Well, I can tell you that if you were sitting in my kitchen with me today, you certainly wouldn't want a cup of tea! We had a very hot and muggy day in Manta. I could have offered you a tall glass of sweet tea though! :-)
We had great services at our church here in Manta on Sunday. We had an attendance of 100, and God blessed. Patricio Solis was visiting us and preached in the morning service and then in the afternoon service in Porto Viejo. We are looking forward to having a baptism on May 3rd. This evening, Tony is starting discipleship classes with a new couple that has been attending off and on for about 6 months, but who have been very faithful the last month and half. We are also starting a class of the 4 Bible Institute Students who have completed the first phase of our program. They are going to be meeting together here at our house on Tuesday evenings. Please keep this group in your prayers. Darwin, Jessica, Mirian and Maria Jose are in this group.
We are waiting for our Architect to come up with an estimate for the next step in the building. We are praying that the Lord will provide the funds needed to complete this phase. Our contract at our present meeting place is up the end of May...we are hopeful that the Landlord will allow us to stay until the end of June. Please keep all of this in your prayers. We know that God is in control and that he has this all worked out. We are trusting Him to complete it.
Our family is all doing well. Mandie, Mike and Ioan are getting ready for baby Saranna's arrival in July. Ashley and Shane are looking forward for the arrival of their baby boy in August. Lexi and Jonathan are excited to be getting a puppy soon! :-) Teddy only has 6 weeks left of first grade! We are excited to be on the "home stretch" for this year! He is also looking forward to the trip this summer to see his sisters, brothers and grandparents.
Tony and I are doing well...keeping very busy. We appreciate your prayers for the ministry here in Manta!
God Bless you as you serve him this week!
Joy
We had great services at our church here in Manta on Sunday. We had an attendance of 100, and God blessed. Patricio Solis was visiting us and preached in the morning service and then in the afternoon service in Porto Viejo. We are looking forward to having a baptism on May 3rd. This evening, Tony is starting discipleship classes with a new couple that has been attending off and on for about 6 months, but who have been very faithful the last month and half. We are also starting a class of the 4 Bible Institute Students who have completed the first phase of our program. They are going to be meeting together here at our house on Tuesday evenings. Please keep this group in your prayers. Darwin, Jessica, Mirian and Maria Jose are in this group.
We are waiting for our Architect to come up with an estimate for the next step in the building. We are praying that the Lord will provide the funds needed to complete this phase. Our contract at our present meeting place is up the end of May...we are hopeful that the Landlord will allow us to stay until the end of June. Please keep all of this in your prayers. We know that God is in control and that he has this all worked out. We are trusting Him to complete it.
Our family is all doing well. Mandie, Mike and Ioan are getting ready for baby Saranna's arrival in July. Ashley and Shane are looking forward for the arrival of their baby boy in August. Lexi and Jonathan are excited to be getting a puppy soon! :-) Teddy only has 6 weeks left of first grade! We are excited to be on the "home stretch" for this year! He is also looking forward to the trip this summer to see his sisters, brothers and grandparents.
Tony and I are doing well...keeping very busy. We appreciate your prayers for the ministry here in Manta!
God Bless you as you serve him this week!
Joy
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
Praise the Lord! "He is not here, for he is risen as he said!" What a special day. Just to think of the great victory won for us! Without the resurrection there is no point in the rest of the story, but with it, we have the gift of salvation.
We had a great day this morning. There were about 109 in attendance. We have new couples wanting to start discipleship classes. The Bible Institute class on Thursday night is running about 17. We have 3 students ready to go ahead and start the next phase of the program.
This past week was a nice week of "vacation" for Teddy and I from school. We enjoyed to slower paced mornings and just the change of pace. Tomorrow we will be getting back to school. We have 8 weeks left! The school year is winding down.
This coming Saturday the "young women" will be meeting here at my house. This is a monthly meeting we have for women 20-35 years old. Please pray for these women. Most of them are new Christians. This is a great opportunity to mentor them and for them to also work on friendships with other Christian women.
I pray you have a blessed week!
Joy
We had a great day this morning. There were about 109 in attendance. We have new couples wanting to start discipleship classes. The Bible Institute class on Thursday night is running about 17. We have 3 students ready to go ahead and start the next phase of the program.
This past week was a nice week of "vacation" for Teddy and I from school. We enjoyed to slower paced mornings and just the change of pace. Tomorrow we will be getting back to school. We have 8 weeks left! The school year is winding down.
This coming Saturday the "young women" will be meeting here at my house. This is a monthly meeting we have for women 20-35 years old. Please pray for these women. Most of them are new Christians. This is a great opportunity to mentor them and for them to also work on friendships with other Christian women.
I pray you have a blessed week!
Joy
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
April 8
Well, I seem to be getting farther and farther behind in keeping this blog updated. Sorry about that. Things are going well here. We haven't had any snow! :-) Most days are bright blue skies and sunshine. The last couple days have been a little overcast, but that hasn't seemed to lower the temperature very much.
Our church services the last couple weeks have been very good. We have had good attendances and visitors both Sundays. Melanie was able to lead to ladies to the Lord last Tuesday evening, when they met together to start discipleship classes! What a blessing.
The construction has gone well so far. We have the first floor columns and floor poured. Next we need to raise some more money, so that we can pour the 2nd floor, (which will be the roof of the first floor), so that we can finish up the first floor. Please be praying with us that the Lord would provide. Our current Landlord wants us out of the apartment we are meeting in this June, so we need to get this first floor finished to provide a meeting place for the church.
Teddy is doing great in school. He is starting to enjoy reading. This week we are on "Easter Vacation", and we are enjoying the time off. Today we started making our chocolate peanut butter eggs. They are mixed up and in the fridge. Teddy is excited about tomorrows part, as that is when we can dip them in chocolate and decorate them.
Friday evening we are having a "video night" at the church. Pray for this outreach.
I pray that you are having a wonderful week!
Joy
Our church services the last couple weeks have been very good. We have had good attendances and visitors both Sundays. Melanie was able to lead to ladies to the Lord last Tuesday evening, when they met together to start discipleship classes! What a blessing.
The construction has gone well so far. We have the first floor columns and floor poured. Next we need to raise some more money, so that we can pour the 2nd floor, (which will be the roof of the first floor), so that we can finish up the first floor. Please be praying with us that the Lord would provide. Our current Landlord wants us out of the apartment we are meeting in this June, so we need to get this first floor finished to provide a meeting place for the church.
Teddy is doing great in school. He is starting to enjoy reading. This week we are on "Easter Vacation", and we are enjoying the time off. Today we started making our chocolate peanut butter eggs. They are mixed up and in the fridge. Teddy is excited about tomorrows part, as that is when we can dip them in chocolate and decorate them.
Friday evening we are having a "video night" at the church. Pray for this outreach.
I pray that you are having a wonderful week!
Joy
Monday, March 23, 2009
March 23rd
"Happy Monday!" Hope you are each doing well. We have had a couple busy weeks. Things at the church are going great. The building is underway and we are excited to see how the Lord is providing each step of the way. Please keep this in your prayers.
Last week we made a run to Guayaquil. We had to start to process to get Teddy's passport renewed, and we were able to get tickets using our Airline Miles for this summer, so we will be able to see our new grand babies and visit some of you!
Yesterday evening we had a double baby shower for two precious ladies in the church. Monica and Viviana are due to deliver this coming month. Please keep them both in your prayers.
37 ladies attended to show their love and support. It was a very special time.
I have a special prayer request for you...This morning we got a phone call from one of the ladies. Her mother had passed away in her sleep last night. Please pray for Wilda. Her mother was in good health and this has been a very hard blow for her. She knows that her Mom is with the Lord and we are thankful for that! Wilda and Alfredo have headed to Quito to be with the rest of their family. Please pray for them during these difficult days.
God Bless you as you serve Him this week!
Joy
Last week we made a run to Guayaquil. We had to start to process to get Teddy's passport renewed, and we were able to get tickets using our Airline Miles for this summer, so we will be able to see our new grand babies and visit some of you!
Yesterday evening we had a double baby shower for two precious ladies in the church. Monica and Viviana are due to deliver this coming month. Please keep them both in your prayers.
37 ladies attended to show their love and support. It was a very special time.
I have a special prayer request for you...This morning we got a phone call from one of the ladies. Her mother had passed away in her sleep last night. Please pray for Wilda. Her mother was in good health and this has been a very hard blow for her. She knows that her Mom is with the Lord and we are thankful for that! Wilda and Alfredo have headed to Quito to be with the rest of their family. Please pray for them during these difficult days.
God Bless you as you serve Him this week!
Joy
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sunday afternoon...
Good afternoon everyone! Hope your Sunday is going well. We had good services this morning, even if our attendance was down. The "official" count was 64. Our kids classes were down and we had many regulars out for various reasons...Even with that, we had 1 first time visitor and several returning for the 2nd time, so we were thankful for that.
Yesterday 5 of the younger women came over to our house for a time of fellowship. We had a great time together. Each of them are struggling with different areas in their lives. Two of them have unsaved husbands. Please pray for Paola and Janneth as they witness to their husbands. Pray for Javier and Edwin to accept Christ as their Savior.
We just got back from the service in Portoviejo. There were 17 present there. Please pray for this struggling work. Pray that God would bring the Ecuadorian Pastor that He has for this church.
Tomorrow we believe they are actually going to get down to work at the property! We are very excited about this. We have very limited funds and we are trusting the Lord to supply what is needed for each step of the way. Please be praying with us about this.
I have to share a little blessing...I think it is just amazing how the Lord uses children to encourage and bless us...
Tony has Teddy on an "envelope system" with his allowance. He has an envelope for his offering, another for "spending money", one for "long-term savings" and one for "short-term savings". I don't know if he has figured out the difference in "long-term" and "short-term" savings but over all he is doing really well with it. He totally understands the idea of savings as he saved quite a bit of money to take to the US when we went at Christmas, and used it to buy Christmas presents and then had some left over to do some "shopping of his own".
A few minutes ago, I noticed he had all his money out and he was counting it. I asked him what he was doing, but he was a little vague in his answer. Then he brought Tony an envelope full of money and on the outside, he had written as best he could..."money to help buy Bibles for the people at church". Tony told him that was really nice, but that we had some Bibles and we would be getting more so he didn't have to us his savings for that, but Teddy insisted that he wanted to add his money to the fund. He put in all the money he had, except what was in his "offering envelope" because that was for the church and the missionaries. What a blessing to me to see him growing in generosity and tenderness, toward the things of the Lord. To hear us talking about a need that many of the people have for a Bible, and then decide on his own, that he wanted to do something about it, more than he wanted to buy a new toy.
I pray God's blessings on your week, your family and your ministry!
Joy
Yesterday 5 of the younger women came over to our house for a time of fellowship. We had a great time together. Each of them are struggling with different areas in their lives. Two of them have unsaved husbands. Please pray for Paola and Janneth as they witness to their husbands. Pray for Javier and Edwin to accept Christ as their Savior.
We just got back from the service in Portoviejo. There were 17 present there. Please pray for this struggling work. Pray that God would bring the Ecuadorian Pastor that He has for this church.
Tomorrow we believe they are actually going to get down to work at the property! We are very excited about this. We have very limited funds and we are trusting the Lord to supply what is needed for each step of the way. Please be praying with us about this.
I have to share a little blessing...I think it is just amazing how the Lord uses children to encourage and bless us...
Tony has Teddy on an "envelope system" with his allowance. He has an envelope for his offering, another for "spending money", one for "long-term savings" and one for "short-term savings". I don't know if he has figured out the difference in "long-term" and "short-term" savings but over all he is doing really well with it. He totally understands the idea of savings as he saved quite a bit of money to take to the US when we went at Christmas, and used it to buy Christmas presents and then had some left over to do some "shopping of his own".
A few minutes ago, I noticed he had all his money out and he was counting it. I asked him what he was doing, but he was a little vague in his answer. Then he brought Tony an envelope full of money and on the outside, he had written as best he could..."money to help buy Bibles for the people at church". Tony told him that was really nice, but that we had some Bibles and we would be getting more so he didn't have to us his savings for that, but Teddy insisted that he wanted to add his money to the fund. He put in all the money he had, except what was in his "offering envelope" because that was for the church and the missionaries. What a blessing to me to see him growing in generosity and tenderness, toward the things of the Lord. To hear us talking about a need that many of the people have for a Bible, and then decide on his own, that he wanted to do something about it, more than he wanted to buy a new toy.
I pray God's blessings on your week, your family and your ministry!
Joy
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Some VBS pictures...
The Intermediate class this morning getting ready to share a song they learned this week.
The preschool and primary classes receiving their certificates this morning.
The Intermediate class met on the terrazzo Friday and Saturday nights.
The primary class, Saturday night.
The preschool class working on their activity, Saturday night.
We had a great week here in Manta! VBS went really well. We had over 50 kids every night. A great turnout of workers. Everyone had a great time. This morning for the closing program with had 134 in church. We had a great turn out in each of the children's classes and a few parents visiting to see their kids receive their certificate.
There were 20 at the service in Portoviejo, so that was good. 4 visitors. Please keep this work in your prayers. Pray that God would send a permanent pastor to take over.
This evening Tony had his Bible Study and then at 7:00 we had an "Annual Meeting". It went really well. It is exciting to see how the Lord has blessed this work over the last year.
We are hoping to get the construction started this week...looks like it might not start until next week. Pray for that. We need a "general contractor" and that still isn't settled. Everything else is ready to go.
We appreciate your prayers for the ministry here in Manta. God bless you as you serve Him this week!
In Christ,
Joy
There were 20 at the service in Portoviejo, so that was good. 4 visitors. Please keep this work in your prayers. Pray that God would send a permanent pastor to take over.
This evening Tony had his Bible Study and then at 7:00 we had an "Annual Meeting". It went really well. It is exciting to see how the Lord has blessed this work over the last year.
We are hoping to get the construction started this week...looks like it might not start until next week. Pray for that. We need a "general contractor" and that still isn't settled. Everything else is ready to go.
We appreciate your prayers for the ministry here in Manta. God bless you as you serve Him this week!
In Christ,
Joy
Monday, February 23, 2009
Carnival Vacation
Good morning everyone! This week-end is "Carnival" here in Ecuador. The kids are all out of school and most people are off work today and tomorrow. The traditional thing, besides for everyone who doesn't live on the coast to go for vacation...is to throw water on people. These days everywhere you go, you need to be on the look out for water balloons, water guns, buckets of water, cups of water, whatever... No one can tell me where this tradition of throwing water at people came from, but everyone seems to have a great time!
Our family had a good week. We had a great trip to Santo Domingo last week. Enjoyed very much being a part of the Valentine's banquet at Iglesia Biblica Bautista Rey de Vida. Tony also preached there Sunday morning. This is their "Missions Emphasis Month" and it was special to be a part of that. We also enjoyed a few days visiting with our good friends, Joe and Sylvia Wells. We returned home Tuesday evening, and pretty much hit the ground running. Wednesday was the Men's and Ladies Bible Studies in Portoviejo. Thursday I had a few visits to make...Friday one of the ladies from the church visited me, and Saturday was our monthly Ladies meeting here at the house. We had 14 and I thought that was pretty good, considering this is a "vacation week-end".
We had good services yesterday. Not sure what the attendance was, but estimate it was in the 80's. We started our new Sunday School class yesterday, so now we have 3 children's classes. Pre-school, 3-5 year olds, Primaries 1st-3rd grade, and Intermediates, 4th-6th grade. We also have a class for kids 7th-10th grade.
After our church service here in Manta, we headed over to Portoviejo and had church there. Then back home, to get things ready for Bible Study and our last meeting to organize our "mini" VBS. Things seem to be ready for that, and we are excited to see what the Lord does through this outreach. We will be starting Thursday evening and going through Sunday. This is the first "VBS" we have done one our own here, so we have been excited to see the response of the people and look forward to the blessings God gives us this week.
Thank you for your prayers for the ministry here in Manta. I pray that each one of you have a wonderful week!
Blessings,
Joy
Our family had a good week. We had a great trip to Santo Domingo last week. Enjoyed very much being a part of the Valentine's banquet at Iglesia Biblica Bautista Rey de Vida. Tony also preached there Sunday morning. This is their "Missions Emphasis Month" and it was special to be a part of that. We also enjoyed a few days visiting with our good friends, Joe and Sylvia Wells. We returned home Tuesday evening, and pretty much hit the ground running. Wednesday was the Men's and Ladies Bible Studies in Portoviejo. Thursday I had a few visits to make...Friday one of the ladies from the church visited me, and Saturday was our monthly Ladies meeting here at the house. We had 14 and I thought that was pretty good, considering this is a "vacation week-end".
We had good services yesterday. Not sure what the attendance was, but estimate it was in the 80's. We started our new Sunday School class yesterday, so now we have 3 children's classes. Pre-school, 3-5 year olds, Primaries 1st-3rd grade, and Intermediates, 4th-6th grade. We also have a class for kids 7th-10th grade.
After our church service here in Manta, we headed over to Portoviejo and had church there. Then back home, to get things ready for Bible Study and our last meeting to organize our "mini" VBS. Things seem to be ready for that, and we are excited to see what the Lord does through this outreach. We will be starting Thursday evening and going through Sunday. This is the first "VBS" we have done one our own here, so we have been excited to see the response of the people and look forward to the blessings God gives us this week.
Thank you for your prayers for the ministry here in Manta. I pray that each one of you have a wonderful week!
Blessings,
Joy
Friday, February 13, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day!
A couple pictures of the congregation, Sunday morning, Feb. 8.
Tony recognizing the 18 people that were baptized during the year.
Some of the ladies, serving the cake and "snack" after the service.
Teddy enjoying his plate of "goodies"! Looks happy doesn't he?
Tony and I with Pastor Eduardo and his family in Portoviejo, Sunday afternoon.
I pray that each of you have had a wonderful week! So sorry for not updating you earlier in the week on our week-end, but things got a little hectic around here. LOL I believe Tony posted an update and some pictures, so maybe you have all been able to keep up with me through his blog.
Last Saturday, we had the young women's meeting here at our house. Only had 3 ladies show up, but we had a great time. Later, several told me they had planned to come, but just had different things come up. Please pray for these ladies. Each of them is struggling with their own set of problems, but they are growing and seeing God work in their lives and in the lives of their families. Saturday, Monica shared how overwhelmed she has been with the love and concern that has been showered on her by the ladies in our church. Monica is a very new Christian, and she is expecting her first baby. She mentioned that none of her sisters or even her mother have offered any kind of support or help, nor have any of the people that she would have considered, "her friends", yet several ladies in the church, who have known her a realitvely short time, have opened up their hearts to her! What a testimony to what the difference Christ makes in our lives!
Saturday evening we had a Leadership Team meeting. It went well, but long, as there were many things to discuss and "iron out".
Sunday morning started bright and early. It was pouring down rain, but about 30 minutes before the service the rain stopped and the sun came out!!! We had around 95 people to celebrate the 4th anniversary of the church. It was a very special service and time of fellowship. Tony recoginized the 18 people that had been baptized during this past year, and it was such a blessing to have all 18 of them present! What a great sign of growth in our young church.
Sunday afternoon we headed to Portoviejo, and enjoyed the service there, where the church recognized Pastor Eduardo and his family and thanked them for the years of service they have given. Pastor Eduardo and his family will be moving to Santo Domingo this week-end. Please pray for leadership and direction for them, and also for the church in Porto Viejo.
The Bible Study Sunday evening was once again well attended. After the study, we had a short meeting to get things organized for our "mini" VBS which will start February 26. Please be praying for those who have made the committment to help with this.
This week hasn't slowed down any either! Tuesday we had some friends from Santo Domingo come and visit us for a few days...we enjoyed thier company. Wednesday I met with the Leaders in our Women's ministry and then Wednesday evening we were off to the Bible Study in Porto Viejo. Tony has been very busy, with the normal classes and discipleship, plus work on getting the construction going for the building. That is all moving forward. We need to find a "general contractor" within the next week, that will be there to "over see" the day to day construction. Pray for God to lead us to the person he has for this position.
Thank you for praying for Barbara Casto. She is out of the hospital and doing well. She has a long road of recovery ahead of her, but God has been so good. Veronica Perez, too, is doing much better. Teddy seems to finally be completely over his "bug" and we are getting back on track with school. Tony and I still need your prayers for wisdom and energy and we minister here and in Portoviejo.
God bless you!
Joy
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Blessings on top of Blessings...
l to r - Paola, Merly and Stalin, Tony, Monica, Solanda, Cristobal, and AndresTony teaching at the Bible Study tonight.
26 people attended the Bible Study this evening.
This has been a day full of blessings...and at the same time exhausting! We had a great service this morning. There were 92 present, with 3 first time visitors. After the morning service we had a baptism at the beach. 7 precious believers were baptized today. 6 adults and one young boy. This marked a great victory in their lives and we were blessed!
After the baptism we headed home for a couple minutes to change clothes, make a few sandwiches to eat in the car and headed to Porto Viejo to meet with the congregation there. 15 people gathered to meet with us and discuss the future of this work. Please pray for Tony and I as we lead this congregation during this time of transition. Pray that God would send the couple he has chosen to Pastor this work and that we would be patient to wait on His timing. At this point we will be making the trip over there on Sunday afternoons for their regular service and then on Wednesday evening, when we are planning to have a Men's and a Ladies Bible study.
From Porto Viejo we head home, had a time to get a class of iced tea, and print out some things we needed for the new Bible Study that started this evening in the church here! We had 26 people attend the study tonight. Tony is teaching a series on "How to Study the Bible for Yourself". The plan is for it to be about a 5 or 6 week series.
So we come to the end of this day, we are tired, but we are also very excited to see the hand of God working in the lives of the people here! Next week will be the 4th anniversary of the church here in Manta!
A couple special prayer requests...
1. Please pray for Barbara Castro. She had surgery this week and is still in the hospital.
2. Pray for Veronica Perez. She will be having some tests tomorrow.
3. Pray for Veronica's husband, Neiger, who was just told Friday along with 4 other guys, that after working for a month, they were no longer needed. Not only that, but they weren't paid for the months work...they were told to return next Friday and they would get paid.
4. Pray for Teddy, who has been sick this past week. He is much better, but still seems to have somthing "hanging on".
5. Pray for strength, energy and wisdome for Tony and I as we minister here in Manta, and now also in Porto Viejo.
Thank you for your prayers and support!
God Bless,
Joy
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Keeping Busy!
We have had some pretty busy days lately.
Getting back into the swing of school last week took some extra effort. It is always hard to get going again after vacation! Teddy is doing very well in school though and we had a good week.
On Friday afternoon, our friends, Joe and Sylvia Wells came over from Santo Domingo. We enjoyed visiting with them through the afternoon and evening. Saturday morning we all went to Porto Viejo for their Building Dedication. That made for a very long day. The service was very nice. Tony preached and did a great job as usual. 11 people besides us went over from our church. Cristobal, Nelly and Joselyn sang a special. There were several churches represented.
Today we had a good service here in Manta. We had 100 in the church service. With several first time visitors. Next Sunday we will have a baptism service and so far there are 3 people planning to be baptized.
We also had sign up sheets today for 2 new Bible Studies starting this coming week. One on Friday evenings at 7:30 and the other on Sunday evenings at 6:00. There are about 13 people signed up for each of those.
Starting this coming Sunday, Tony, Teddy and I will be making the trip to Porto Viejo on Sundays. Please pray for us as we lead this congregation until the Lord sends them a new Pastor. Pray for the work here in Manta too. At this time we will be going over there on Sunday afternoons.
Another special prayer request is for one of the ladies in our church, Barbara Castro. She is in the hospital now and is schedule for surgery on Tuesday.
Pray for Teddy, he seems to be getting sick this afternoon. He is complaining of a head ache and running a temp.
Thank you for your prayers!
Joy
Getting back into the swing of school last week took some extra effort. It is always hard to get going again after vacation! Teddy is doing very well in school though and we had a good week.
On Friday afternoon, our friends, Joe and Sylvia Wells came over from Santo Domingo. We enjoyed visiting with them through the afternoon and evening. Saturday morning we all went to Porto Viejo for their Building Dedication. That made for a very long day. The service was very nice. Tony preached and did a great job as usual. 11 people besides us went over from our church. Cristobal, Nelly and Joselyn sang a special. There were several churches represented.
Today we had a good service here in Manta. We had 100 in the church service. With several first time visitors. Next Sunday we will have a baptism service and so far there are 3 people planning to be baptized.
We also had sign up sheets today for 2 new Bible Studies starting this coming week. One on Friday evenings at 7:30 and the other on Sunday evenings at 6:00. There are about 13 people signed up for each of those.
Starting this coming Sunday, Tony, Teddy and I will be making the trip to Porto Viejo on Sundays. Please pray for us as we lead this congregation until the Lord sends them a new Pastor. Pray for the work here in Manta too. At this time we will be going over there on Sunday afternoons.
Another special prayer request is for one of the ladies in our church, Barbara Castro. She is in the hospital now and is schedule for surgery on Tuesday.
Pray for Teddy, he seems to be getting sick this afternoon. He is complaining of a head ache and running a temp.
Thank you for your prayers!
Joy
Wedding pictures., Enjoy!
At the nail salon...
Fixing the veil
In the Bride's Room
What a handsome boy!
Lexi and Teddy
Lexi and Tony
What a beauty!
3 sisters
The "princess"
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Taylor
The whole family!
Teddy, Lexi, Jonathan and Stephanie
The wedding party
Ashley, Shane, Jonathan and Lexi at the reception.
Teddy is definitely ALL boy! Walking into the reception.
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